After undergoing back surgery in May, Chris Pronger spoke in July regarding the likelihood of him participating in Flyers training camp this September.

“Whether I’m at camp or not, I don’t know that yet, it’s still early to tell,” Pronger said last month regarding his recovery, per nhl.com. “I would guess I would not be starting camp just from the mere fact that I haven’t been able to work out at all yet. I’m skinny to begin with, and now I’m looking really skinny.”

Pronger underwent a procedure on his back on May 12 called a discectomy, the surgical removal of herniated disc fragments.

Now a few weeks later Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, while still allowing that Pronger may miss the start of camp, says that the 36 year-old defenseman may not have to skip all of it.

“He’s pushed things up another level in terms of his rehab and his workouts, so he’s on the right track,” Holmgren said, per the Courier Post. “He’s doing more than he was a week ago. We’ll have a better idea when he comes back. If he’s not ready to take part in the early part of camp I don’t think that’s a big deal. Obviously, the most important thing is the regular season. We’ll deal with it on a daily basis.”

Holmgren indicated that Pronger was examined last week and was given permission to step up the rehab process. Pronger also saw a specialist for assessment on another injury, the broken hand he suffered last season, which was operated on March 15.

It’s a good thing Pronger is such a tough player. In addition to the back and hand injuries, he also sustained a broken foot in December of last year that required surgery, causing him to miss a month of the season. Pronger also had what was called reconstructive surgery on his right knee in the summer of 2010.

Pronger ended up missing nearly half of the Flyers games last year, injuries forcing him to sit out 40 in all, eight being in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A healthy Pronger may not have prevented a Bruins second-round series victory, but with him in the lineup it’s unlikely the Flyers would have been swept out of Boston.